Disney Villains
Say what you want about Disney, but they always have great villains. Scar, Jafar, Hades, and Maleficent are only a few and most people can quickly rattle off most of them. The heroes are remembered easily because their names are in the title. The villains have to be memorable for being evil and that’s always a challenge.
As a writer, I try to put a bit of humanity into my villains. That spark that shows they aren’t 100% evil and monstrous. Even my demons and vampires have some type of human flaw. This isn’t to say the full monster villain is worthless because it depends on the story. If you need a rampaging destroyer then giving him a sense of doubt might not be a good idea. A love of kittens would make him seem like a joke. Still, your main villains typically require intelligence and cruelty with something that can hook the reader into their story.
A way that I once looked at it is that the hero and the villain are competing for my attention when reading. Am I more interested in the hero’s tale or the villain’s tale? I always want to have moments where I’m fascinated by the villain and part of me believes he or she will succeed. This is why I think it’s more of a challenge to write a villain, but it’s a lot more fun because they can do whatever they want at times. Burn that village to the ground? No problem. Punt baby elves into a dragon’s mouth? You got it. Cheat on the final test? Sure if that’s the story you’re going for.
I can’t actually pinpoint a specific villain type that I like, but I know my one requirement. I need my villains to be entertaining. I don’t even need depth because the rampager can be entertaining if done correctly. Definitely all in the writing and it’s more important for villains than heroes because villains are the reason the story is happening. Without them, the hero has nothing to go up against.
So, what do you look for in your villains?
Legends of Windemere: Prodigy of Rainbow Tower Coming July 31st!!!!
